Bengaluru:

One person was killed and five others are reported trapped after an under-construction building collapsed in Bengaluru on Tuesday. There has been heavy rain in the city since last week. Rescue teams are at Babusapalya in east Bengaluru, where the building is located, and efforts are on to clear the debris and pull the trapped people out. Fourteen people have been rescued so far.

At the time of the collapse, there were 20 people inside the building. “Twenty people were trapped. One of them died, and 14 were rescued. Five are still missing,” D Devaraja, DCP (East) Bengaluru, told news agency ANI.

Waterlogging has thrown life out of gear in parts of the city, with children having to miss school and passengers missing flights and trains. Residents of an apartment complex in Yelahanka on the outskirts of Bengaluru were also evacuated using boats after heavy flooding. 

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, said the government cannot “stop nature” but is taking all necessary steps to ensure people don’t suffer.

“Strict action will be taken against officials, contractors and the owner. A survey will be conducted soon to ensure that such illegal constructions are stopped,” Mr Shivakumar said.

“You might have noticed in the media what is happening in Dubai and Delhi. There is pollution in Delhi and rain in Dubai, which is a drought-prone region. There is a similar situation in many parts of the country. We are managing. We cannot stop nature but we are there. I am also gathering information from the entire team,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Mr Shivakumar said pumps have been pressed into service to drain water from apartments and low-lying areas and teams from the state and national disaster response forces are carrying out relief work.